China News Service, Hangzhou, August 10 (Zhang Yuhuan, Zhang Yudi, Liang Xiaochang) In Yunhui Village, Renhe Street, Yuhang District, Hangzhou, a sign of "Folk Library" is hung at the door of an ordinary house.
This is not only the home of 98-year-old Pang Ruxun, but also the "ocean of books" he built 20 years ago.
The locals affectionately call this "Grandpa Pang Library".
Twenty years ago, Pang Ruxun, a retired teacher in his early years, used his pension to establish the first free library in the village.
As time goes by, the children who used to read in the "folk library" have grown up. In order to let more novel books enter the vision of children and villagers, and to pass on the spirit of love of knowledge, a new book was built in the village this year. room.
The spacious and bright environment, colorful cushions, warm wooden floor, a group of children holding books and reading quietly...Time and space have changed, and the book has not changed.
Part of the books collected in the old library site.
Photo by Zhang Yudi
See the vast world from a small world
As soon as he entered the door, he saw Pang Ruxun walking tremblingly. He leaned on a cane in one hand and skillfully opened the small iron door of the library with the other hand, calling people to "come in and take a look."
Originally, this library was very small. It was almost a 20-square-meter cubicle separated by a cabinet in the room. The cabinets on three sides were filled with various books and magazines.
Some books have been turned over very old and have broken pages, but they are neatly arranged.
There is a long table and a few chairs in the middle of the library to serve friends who read books.
Although Pang Ruxun’s hearing is severely degraded and it is difficult to communicate, he should ask, "Grandpa, did you buy all the books here?"
He will still say clearly: "Hey! Yes, yes! I have bought all these books, you just look at them, so you don't have to buy them!"
In that era when information has not yet flowed at a high speed, paper books are almost the only way for children to acquire extracurricular knowledge.
Children read books at the new location of the library.
Photo by Zhang Yudi
Recalling the years more than ten years ago, Ni Jifeng, the party secretary of Yunhui Village, was deeply moved.
"There should be more than 30,000 books here, which is more than the books in our school library. I and the children around me will take the initiative to read at Grandpa's place after class."
Ni Jifeng said that he should be regarded as the first generation of children to read in the "Grandpa Pang Library".
In memory, the old man always showed a kind smile, holding a pamphlet full of borrowing information in his hand, and greeted the children to come to this world of books.
The library is only a small world, and Pang Ruxun always hopes that because of reading, children can get closer to the wider world.
The new location of the spacious and bright library.
Photo by Liang Xiaochang
From the belief of one person to the guardianship of generations
Nowadays, Pang Ruxun, who is nearly 100 years old, is not as healthy as before. It is too difficult for him to purchase new books and maintain the library.
Therefore, the Yunhui Village Committee decided to build a "Grandpa Pang Library".
Soon, the library was completed with the help of Yunhui Village and all walks of life. It was located a 10-minute walk from Pang Ruxun's home.
Walking into the spacious and bright new library, many children are reading books here.
According to Ni Jifeng, the new library is maintained and operated by Yimeng, a social organization in Yunhui Village, and volunteers recruited regularly.
Up to now, the library has tens of thousands of books, of which more than half are moved from the original library, and another 5,000 or so are newly purchased books.
“The current types of books here include not only the story books that children love to read, but also literature, history, red education, etc.” Ni Jifeng said, after learning about Pang Ruxun’s story, some publishing houses also regularly provide books for free to the library. .
Zhou Yanqi, a fourth-grade student of Yunhui Central Primary School, is a frequent visitor to the library.
During the summer vacation, she often came over in the morning with a bag, read a book, wrote homework, and stayed for a whole day.
Zhou Yanqi said that the Yunhui Central Primary School where she works often organizes reading clubs, story meetings and other activities in the library to tell Pang Ruxun's story to more people.
Pang Ruxun's faith and dedication are like a seed, taking root in the hearts of many children.
"Let the children in the village have books to read." Once, Pang Ruxun took care of that side of the reading space alone. Now, this library that holds his life's faith is also guarded by more people, and will be used by generations after generations. Handed down.
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